


Fallen Kingdom

by LadycashUT



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: F/F, Love, Romance, True Love, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-01
Updated: 2016-05-11
Packaged: 2018-05-30 11:54:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6422920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadycashUT/pseuds/LadycashUT
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clarke and Lexa are both part of powerful families of the Kingdom of Eesii.  Lexa is cast out on exile for committing a crime to protect Clarke.  Will their love survive and prosper of over the bad omens that may doom the Kingdom of Eesii?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

1 month ago:

 

Lexa walked into the grand ballroom with Titus, her father.  Titus was head of one of the 5 noble families who ruled the Kingdom of Eesii.  The other head-nobles were Pike, Indra, Abby, and Marcus.  

 

Today was Souflora, a special occasion honoring all the high-born families. There were over 1000 guests and it was truly a grand affair.  There was a string orchestra playing on the balcony.  The ballroom had expensive white marble floors and was decorated with extravagant flowers in every corner. There  were over 300 waiters and waitresses serving cocktails and ordure’s and catering to all the guests needs.  

 

Lexa spotted Clarke across the room and parted from her father.  She wore a beautiful white gown which exposed her left shoulder.  It had very intricate details with flower patterns.  She looked absolutely stunning.  As she walked toward Clarke, she noticed that Clarke look very distressed and teary eyed.  Lexa quickened her pace to reach Clarke faster.

 

“What’s wrong?” Lexa asked placing her hands on both Clarkes cheeks.

 

“He did it again,” Clarke cried trying not to let the tears fall down her face.  “He came to my room in the middle of the night and he….he….”

 

“Shhh. It’s ok,” Lexa said pulling Clarke into a hug and kissing her forehead.  Lexa didn’t need to hear anything else, she knew exactly what Clarke was talking about.  This was the second time it happened.  Kyls, Pikes son, had come to Clarkes room and molested her once again.

 

“Have you told anyone?” Lexa asked.

 

“You know that I can’t,” Clarke cried.  

 

Lexa knew exactly why she couldn’t.  1 year ago, Clarke and Lexa left the castle to visit the market.  While on their trip, they came across an orphaned boy, named Aden, who was malnourished and clearly being abused by his caretaker.  He walked the streets with no shoes and his feet were blistered from the hot cement.  His hands and face were darkened with coal, since he cleaned the chimney’s and fireplaces in town, which was supposed to be the job of his drunken caretaker.  His pants were severely ripped and you could see several old and newly healing scars all throughout his back and chest.  Clarke and Lexa stole him from his caretaker and took him back to the castle.  In order for him to live there with them in the castle, Clarke  and Lexa drafted a letter claiming that he was the illegitimate son of Titus and his mother had just died.  Titus was known for his promiscuous ways so it was not questioned whether it truly was his son.  The letter pleaded for Titus to care for his son at the Castle and Titus agreed.  

If anyone were to find out that Aden did not have the blood of Titus or about the fake letter that was written, the crime would be punishable by death.  No person without noble blood were allowed to live in the castle unless appointed by the head-nobles by a vote.  Aden would have never been allowed to live there if the nobles truly knew who he was.  

Kyls, one of the nosiest of the nobles, found out about Adens true ancestry and origin of the letter.  He decided to take advantage of this knowledge.  He threatened to tell the head-nobles about Aden unless he was allowed to “have” Clarke anytime he pleased.  

“Clarke, this is the last time this is going to happen.” Lexa promised, placing her hands back on Clarkes cheeks.

 

It hurt Lexa terribly for Clarke to get hurt like this.  She was infuriated and enraged that anyone had the audacity to put their hand on Clarke.  

 

“What are you going to do?” Clarke asked grabbing Lexa’s wrists.

 

“I’m going to kill him.”


	2. Chapter 2

1 month ago:

"Please, Lexa. Don't do this." Clarke pleaded. "The head-nobles will have you killed when they find out"

"That's why they will never find out" Lexa explained. "No one will ever suspect me."

Lexa sat on Clarkes bed and Clarke moved to sit on her lap. Lexa wrapped her arms around Clarkes waist, pulled her in for a tight hug and laid her head on Clarkes chest. Clarke wrapped her arms around Lexas neck.

It was rare that Lexa was in Clarkes room at such a late hour. Even though they were engaged to be married, Lexa and Clarke were not allowed to sleep in the same room until after marriage. This was custom for all noble families in the castle.

"There's no sure way to know that you won't get caught, Lexa," Clarke whispered as her eyes water. "If you're caught, I don't know what I would do without you. I would rather have Kyls abuse me for the rest of my life then live without you."

"I can't just watch you get hurt everyday Clarke. You are my heart and you don't deserve this. You're living in fear every time you go to sleep and I live in fear for you. When he comes here, you end up with your sheets covered in blood," Lexa struggled fighting back tears while looking in Clarkes eyes. "You are mine and I am yours. And it is my job to protect you."

"Lexa. Look around you. In a few months, we can both live here. In this room, in this castle," Clarke pointed out.

Clarkes room was in the west tower near the top floor. Her room was about ¾ the size of a basketball court with marble floors and a couple of white fur throw rugs. In the center back wall was her grand bed, covered in white fur, silk sheets and series of throw pillows filled with the softest feathers. To the right end of the room was the 7-feet tall wooden oak double doors with sophisticated trimmings and details. The room was filled with various chandeliers, lamps, and candles that made the room smell beautifully. There were many divine, colorful paintings hung on the walls, many of which Clarke painted herself. In the middle of the room, there were two white leather couches and a glass coffee table. This is where Clarke and Lexa gave Aden his reading lessons. He was unable to read upon arriving at the castle but he picked up very quickly. In the corner near the windows, was a small round table with 3 chairs. Every morning, Lexa and Aden came to Clarkes room to enjoy a delicious breakfast at the round table where they would laugh and talk for hours. Clarkes room also had one of the best views in the castle. The room had 5, six-feet tall sliding windows that Clarke usually kept open. On either side of the windows, were white and turquoise curtains that blew gorgeously in the wind. The windows lead to a picturesque balcony where you could see the entire kingdom as well as the beautiful waves of the ocean. It was here where Clarke and Lexa watched the sun rise and set almost every day.

"I don't want to loose this Lexa. I don't want to loose you," Clarke protest as she kneeled in front of Lexa grabbing both of her hands. "I beg you, please. Do not do this."

Lexa pulled Clarke to her feet and stood up.

"You will not loose me. Ever," Lexa promised. "I will always be with you and I will always protect you."

Lexa placed her hands on Clarkes cheeks and leaned in to kiss her.

"I must go," Lexa said. "I'll be back first thing in the morning."

*************

"Good evening Kyls," said one of Kyls female servants. "Would you like me to run your evening bath?"

"Yes, Mary. And make it as hot as you can. I'm feeling rather dirty today."

Kyls was one of the most handsome men in the Kingdom and used his charm, good looks, and wealth to get what he wanted. He was tall with a dark complexion, was very muscular and also very manipulative. Despite being married, he was very scandalous in his affairs but he always managed to keep his endeavors a secret.

"Your bath is ready Kyls. Is there anything else you need before I head to my quarters for the night?" Mary asked.

"Yes, there is actually," Kyls smiled slowly. "Take off your clothes."

"Excuse me sir?"

"Take off your clothes, and get in the bath," he replied.

"But sir, surely you don't want me to dirty your water. A nobleman like yourself only deserves the cleanest bath." Mary replied uneasily.

"I don't mind. You seem like a very clean servant." Kyls encouraged. "Get in."

"But sir, the water is far too hot for my skin" she stressed. "You told me to make it as hot as possible and…"

"I said get in!" Kyls beamed as his temper rose, standing to his feet.

Mary froze and wept looking down at the floor.

"Do you dare to defy me!?" Kyls continued. "You are my servant!"

Kyls grabbed Mary and ripped her dress by the shoulder. The sleeve of her dress fell to the floor.

Mary quickly took off the rest of her clothes. She was standing naked in front of him trembling and crying quietly. Kyls pushed her near the tub and she nearly fell over.

"Get in," Kyls growled.

Mary lifted her left leg and slowly entered her foot into the tub starting with her toes. She let out a crying scream and covered her mouth to drown out the sound. The water was scorching hot and Mary knew that it would leave 2nd-degree burns on her body.

A smile crept on Kyls face.

Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the door.

"Master Kyls, there are documents that need your approval immediately," yelled a man on the other side of the door.

"I'll sign them tomorrow!" Kyls yelled back.

"They needed to be signed yesterday sir."

"Fine! Be there in a minute," Kyles answered. "Looks like today's your lucky day Mary. Grab your clothes and leave."

Mary ran for her clothes, quickly shuffled them on, and ran out of the back door of Kyls room still crying.

Kyls opened his door and entered a slightly overweight stubbly man.

"Sorry to disturbed you sir, but this is of the utmost importance."

The man handed Kyls five scrolls of paper. He read through them hastily and signed each one.

"Thank you so much sir." The man said. "It was a ple….."

Kyls slammed the door in the mans face before he could finish his sentence. He then walked over to the bathtub to let the water out.

Soon there was another knock on the door.

"I'm terribly sorry sir, there is just one last paper to sign," he heard through the door.

"Fucking stubby bastard" Kyls murmured under his breath.

Kyls opened the door once more and no one was there.

Kyls suddenly felt a warm sensation on his neck. His garments began to soak with red liquid. Confused, Kyls reached for his neck and found a knife pierced through his skin. His eyes began to blur and he suddenly fell to the ground with is back on the floor. Through his blurry eyes, Kyls notice a slim woman standing above him.

"Lexa?"

She reached down and swiftly pulled the knife out of Kyls neck. When she pulled it out, he felt an explosion of sharp searing pain but he was unable to scream due to the pooling of blood in his mouth and throat. He began to cough and choke on his own blood and his entire body began to feel extremely cold. As he drowned in his own blood, he watched helplessly as Lexa exited the room and closed the door behind her.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Lexa arrived at Clarkes room particularly early.  It was still dark outside as the sun began to rise.

 

Clarke opened her door sleepily and Lexa immediately put her hand behind Clarkes neck and pulled her in for a kiss.  Clarke was caught by surprise but she quickly returned the kiss.  Their lips seemed to fit perfectly in each other.  The kiss was filled with passion as Clarke wrapped her hands around Lexas neck and shoulders.  Lexa grabbed Clarkes thighs lifted her up as Clarke wrapped her legs around her waist.  Lexa propped her against the wall and deepened the kiss as both of their emotions ran high.

 

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.  Lexa walked over to the bed and placed Clarke down.  She walked back to the door and opened it to see Aden on the other side.

 

“Good morning, Lexa!” Aden said excitedly giving Lexa a hug. 

 

“Hey, Aden,” Lexa said smiling returning the hug ruffling his hair.  

 

He then ran to Clarke to give her a hug as well. 

 

“Good morning Clarke!” Aden shrieked.

 

“What do you have there Aden?” Clarke asked noticing he was carrying something in his hands. 

 

“It’s an arrow.” Aden exclaimed.  “Indra has been teaching me how to make them.  On this end, we had to attach the feathers.  She said properly adding feathers at the end can help aim the arrow at the target and fly at the highest speeds.   Today we are going to sharpen the head so that it can slice through anything!”

 

“I hope you and Indra are very careful, “ Lexa cautioned.  “I don’t want you cutting yourself.”

 

“Don’t worry Lexa,” Aden assured.  “Indra’s the best teacher ever!  After I learn how to make arrows, she’s going to teach me how to shoot them!”

 

As Aden, Clarke, and Lexa talked about bows and arrows, there was another knock on the door.  

 

Lexa opened the door and Tibby, one of the chefs of the castle, walked in with breakfast.  Tibby placed all the food on the round table near the windows of the room.  

 

“What’s for breakfast today Tibby?” Clarke asked.

 

Tibby lifted the tops off the plates.

 

“Blueberry pancakes, scrambled eggs with bell pepper & tomatoes, and sausages.  A coffee for you Ms. Lexa, a tea for you Ms. Clarke, and a cup of milk for you Mr. Aden. 

 

“You are too kind to us Tibby.” Lexa smiled.

 

“Anything for my favorite tenants of the castle,” He admitted.

 

“Would you like to join us for breakfast Tibby?” Clarke asked gesturing him to pull up another chair. “There’s plenty of food to go around.”

 

“No thank you madam.  This castle isn’t going to feed itself ya know” Tibby declared.  “Next, I’m going to deliver food to Mr. Wallace.  He’s so grumpy that sometimes I “accidentally” burn his bacon.” He whispered to Aden causing him to giggle.

 

Once Tibby left, the three of them exchange stories, talked about their plans for the day, and laughed as Clarke explained to Aden the first time Lexa learned to shoot an arrow.

 

It was truly perfect.

 

**********

 

One month later:

 

“I love you,” Clark said standing behind Lexa wrapping her arms around her waist.

 

Lexa and Clark were standing on her balcony watching the sunset. It was a cool evening with a slight breeze. The sky was gorgeously blue and pink as the sun slowly dropped. 

 

“I love you too,” Lexa replied smiling into Clarkes warm touch. 

 

“In three weeks we will be married,” Clarke said kissing Lexas neck. “I can't wait for that day to come.”

 

“Clarke you make me so happy,” Lexa said turning around grabbing her hands and looking into her eyes. “You're so carefree, gentle, and selfless.  You have such a determined demeanor and every time I see you my heart flutters.  I don't know what I've done to deserve you,” Lexa confessed as her eyes watered.

 

Clark placed her hands on Lexas cheeks and wiped the tears away with her thumbs.

 

“There's no one else in this entire world I'd rather be with,” Clarke explained. “You're so brave, generous, and stunning.  I trust you with my life and I know that you would never purposely hurt me.  I love you like no one else and I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”

 

Clarke pulled her in for an emotional and compassionate kiss.

 

Without warning, Clarkes door violently swung open.

 

Five fully armed castle guards stormed into Clarkes room, aggressively and carelessly knocking over lamps and chairs as they thundered in.

 

“What is the meaning of this?” Clarke scolded.

 

One of the guards roughly grabbed Lexa by the arm.

 

“Let her go!” Clarke yelled grabbing on tightly to Lexa.

 

Another guard roughly seized both of Clarkes arms near her shoulders and another grabbed Lexa by the scalp of her hair and they pulled them apart from each others arms.  The guard who grab Lexas hair, pulled her so hard that she fell to the ground scraping her chin against the cement of the balcony.  The guard then began to drag Lexa by her hair into Clarkes room. 

 

“Stop!” Clarke cried.  “I’ll have you killed for this!!”

 

The guard held Clarke back from running to Lexa.  He held her so hard that her skin began to bruise under his grasp.  Clarke fought so violently to break free from him that another guard was needed to hold her back. 

 

Lexa tried to stand up and fight back as well.  But a second guard kicked her in her stomach and put his foot on her face to pin her to the ground.  Lexa could smell the dirt on the bottom of his boot as she was struggling to breathe.  

 

“Lexa, you are under arrest for the death of Kyls, son of Pike,” the guard said.

 

“Release her!” Clarke yelled still struggling to free herself to run to Lexa. “You’re hurting her!” she cried.  

 

The guard removed his foot from her face and two of the guards carried Lexa out of the room.

 

“No! Lexa!”  Clarke wailed. She managed to free herself from the guards and ran toward her door.  The 5th guard pulled out his sword, the size of a baseball bat, and pointed it toward Clarke who stopped in her steps terrified.  “Please! Don’t do this!”

 

The other two guards exited the room and the guard with the sword backed out.  They slammed the doors to her room and barricaded it shut.  Clarke ran to the door to open it but failed since the guards had locked her in.  She screamed and banged on the door until her hands started bleeding.  Helpless, she slid down the door to the floor and wept against the door as it began to stain from the blood as it dried.

 


	4. Chapter 4

As a rat crawled across Lexas leg, she jerked awake from her sleep as it sunk his teeth into her skin. The rat scurried into the darkness of the dungeon as Lexa shoved it away. Lexa was locked in a small cell at the bottom of the dungeon. The dungeon smelled of blood and urine, and was very dark. The smell along with the thought of never seeing Clark or Aden again made Lexa feel constantly nauseated. The only source of light were the four torches that line the halls of the dungeon. Lexa persistently heard the pain and cries of the other prisoners in the dungeon, some of which had been there for years. 'Please! Feed me, I'm so hungry' or 'Kill me! Please, relieve me from this misery,' we're just some of the things she would hear from the other prisoners. The prisoners were given food once a day and it was always the same; a hand full of cold oatmeal. They were not even allowed a bowl or spoon. The oatmeal was scooped into their hands.

In the darkness, Lexa thought about her life at the castle as a young child. She grew up on the north side of the castle, on the same side where Indra lived. When Lexa was five, Indra began to give her bow and arrow lessons. Indra was 19 at the time and was a motherly figure and Lexas eyes. Indra was one of the few women of the castle who knew how to shoot a bow and arrow and Titus allowed his daughter to train with Indra since she was so persistent in learning.

Five was also the age when she met Clarke. Many of the castle girls made fun of Lexa because she was the only girl who wanted to learn to shoot arrows. However, Clarke always stood up for Lexa and did what she could to protect her from the bullies of the castle. 'You act just like a boy,' the girls would say. 'You should change your name from Lexa to Leroy.'

'You're just mad because you got no marks on our sewing class,' Clarke would respond. 'Too bad you won't get to be a graceful princess when you grow up.'

Clark and Lexa hung out together every day after classes in the castle when they were growing up. Clark would take Lexa to the gardens and teach her about all the different flowers and plants. Lexa would take Clark on adventures throughout the castle and show her all of the secret passageways that she had discovered.

Lexa pulled herself from her thoughts as she began to feel a growing nauseating pain. She had a fever and was trembling from the cold dungeon. Before she knew it, she vomited the handful of oatmeal that she ate just a few hours earlier.

*********

Titus worked tirelessly to allow Lexa visiting rights. After an entire weeks worth of work, Lexa was finally able to have visitors. Upon hearing the news, Clarke immediately headed toward the dungeons. She grabbed a torch and carefully hurried down the corridor of the dungeon. The floors were made of rough uneven rock. If one was not careful, it was easy to cut and slice your foot. The floors were also wet and very slippery. When Clarke reached the end of the corridor, she found Lexa sitting on the ground behind the bars of her cell.

"Lexa," Clarke trembled.

Lexa stood up weakly and walked over to Clarke. Clarke placed her hands on Lexas cheeks through the bars of the cell.

"Lexa, you're burning up," Clark said worriedly. "Here, drink this."

Clark pulled out a pale of water from the sack and passed it thru the bars to.

Lexa drank the water as if she had been dehydrated for days. As she drank, Clarke noticed that Lexa looked about 10 pounds lighter.

"Here take this as well," Clark said as she passed Lexa bread, grapes, and cheese.

"There's going to be a trial," Clark announced. "You're going to have a chance to talk and present your case. At the end of the trial the head-nobles will vote on your fate."

"We have to win the vote Lexa," Clark choked as her eyes watered.

"We can win it Clarke," Lexa said. "We already have one vote in my favor with my father. I need you to talk to Abby. We need her vote."

"Of course, I'm already working on my mom. What about Marcus?"

"Marcus is stern and is a stickler for rules and the law. I doubt that he would vote in our favor." Lexa said. "But talk to Indra, I think you can convince her to vote in our favor as well. All we need is three out of the five votes to win."

Clarke stared at Lexa, terrified for her fate.

"Hey. Clarke it's going to be ok." Lexa said reaching through the cell to hold her.

"I've missed you so much," Clark whimpered. "It's all my fault that you're here."

"No. No, it's not" Lexa assured. "I'm going to get out of here and we're going to be ok. You just have to talk to Abby and Indra. I know you can convince them."

"Ok," Clarke said drying her tears.

"How's Aden," Lexa asked.

"He's not bad, but he's been better. He hasn't eaten much since you've been gone. He's very worried." Clarke explained.

"Tell him not to. Tell him that I'm going to see him soon and that he need not worry."

"You have to go now Clarke," Lexa said. "You have to go talk to Abby and Indra. We're running out of time."

Clark placed a kiss on Lexas lips.

"I'll be back," she said. See grabbed a torch and ran to do her job to free Lexa.

**********

Clark went to see her mother first.

"Mom." Clarke wrapped her arms around her mom to return the hug. "I know what it seems like, but you have to trust me that there is a reason behind everything."

Abby looked in her daughters eyes unconvinced.

"We need your help." Clarke pleaded "Can you please vote in Lexas favor, please."

Abby looked surprised at Clarke shocked that Clarke would ask such as thing.

"I don't know if I can Clarke. It depends on how the trial goes. If she can prove her innocence then I will vote in her favor."

"Please mom, do it for me," Clarke said.

"Tell me the truth Clarke," Abby said grabbing her daughters shoulders. "Did she kill Kyls?"

Clarke hesitated at the question. She never wanted to lie to her mother but Lexa was her heart. But as the same time, she trusted her mom and she was wary that the truth would come out in the trial.

"Yes." Clarke barely managed to say. "But she did it for me…. Kyls… Kyls molested me, mom. And he… he promised to do it as often as he wanted."

Abby was appalled at Clarkes words and she was at a loss for her own.

"Why would he do such a thing?" Abby asked outraged.

"I'm sorry Mom, but I….. it's just something that I cannot share." Clarke claimed. "I wish I could but I…. I just can't."

"Why didn't you just tell us? The head-nobles would have handled it. We would have handled everything."

"It wasn't that simple, Mom," Clarke uttered. "It's more than what it seems."

Abby stared quietly, conflicted on what to do. Her face and forehead were scrunched, as she pondered on what was the right and most just decision to make.

"Please, mom. Please know that Lexa would have never killed him unless it was for a valid reason," Clarke went on. "If you won't do it for her. At least do it for me. Please. I love her and you know how she makes me feel."

Abby continued to stare as she gathered her thoughts. As a head-noble, it was her job to serve justice in the court. Being a head-noble meant that you were one of the most powerful and influential people in the entire Kingdom of Eesii. Abbys reign had been just and fair thus far and she wanted to continue this reputation. However, this was her daughter and she knew that Lexa was the one who made her happiest.

"Ok, Clarke. I'll vote in Lexas favor," Abby nodded.

"Thank you Mom," Clarke breathe. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Clark headed to the North Tower to see Indra. She knocked on her door and heard Indra say come in. When she walked in, Indra embraced her immediately.

"I heard about everything," Indra said. "Are you ok?"

"I'm holding up but I'm more worried about Lexa," Clarke replied. "The trial is coming up and she needs your help."

"You don't have to explain anything," Indra confirmed. "I've watched Lexa grow up since she was a small child. I know she would have never done this without a valid reason."

"So can you vote in Lexas favor at the trial?" Clarke asked.

"Without a doubt," Indra affirmed. "She definitely has my vote."

***********

Lexa was pulled from a cell and her hands were cuffed. The guards put shackles on her feet led her to the court. The shackles on her feet were put on a bit too tight and it was a bit painful to walk but she marched on. As she walked the corridors of the castle, she saw the crowd of people gathered on both sides. As she walked, she heard whispers and people pointed as she passed by. She spotted Aden and he ran toward her to give her a hug.

"Lexa!" Aden wailed.

"Aden" Lexa yelped.

But before he could make it toward her, one of the guards grabbed him and carried him away. He kicked, screamed and yelled but he was no match for the guard due to his small size.

"He's just a little boy!" Lexa yelled.

One of the guards grabbed Lexa by the hair and roughly tilted her head back.

"Quiet noble killer," he voiced.

Lexa entered the courtroom and saw the 5 nobles at the head of the court. She took he spot on the stand and looked at the crowd of people before her. In the front of the crowd was Clarke.

The court leader stood to begin the trial.

"In this court of law, under the oath of the Kingdom of Eesii, you must promise to truth…"

As the court leader spoke, Lexa drown out the sound as she focused her eyes on Clarke. She couldn't help but think about how much she loved her and how Clarke would manage without her if she was sentenced to death. She was then pulled from her thoughts when the court leader asked her the first question.

"Lexa, did you kill Kyls, son of Pike?" The court leader asked.

"No," Lexa said as the crowd murmured

"Where were you on the night Kyls was murdered?" He asked

"I was in Clarkes room as usual. And when I left, I went straight to my room."

"Were you there the whole night?" he asked.

"Yes," Lexa replied.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we will now call our first witness to the court," he announced. "Donna Chyn, please rise to the stand."

Donna was one of Lexas servants. She had grown to really like Lexa over the past 10 years of serving her.

"Donna, where was Lexa on the night of the murder?" the court leader asked.

"She was in her room as usual" Donna lied.

"Did she come in later than usual?" he asked

"No, she arrived at the same time she usually does. When she arrived, I was placing wood in her fireplace as it was cold this particular night."

In reality, Donna helped Lexa clean off the blood from her hands that night. Donna, as well as many of the other servants, knew the cruel ways of Kyls, especially to those who he considered "below" him. Therefore, she was glad that he was gone. Lexa truly did her a favor since Kyls had abused Donna in the past.

"I call our next witness, Foldolfo to the stand."

Foldolfo was the man who asked Kyls to sign the papers the night of the murder. When Lexa asked him for help, he agreed without question.

"Foldolfo, did you enter Kyls room the night of the murder?" the court leader asked.

"Yes," he replied. "There were some very important documents that needed to be signed."

"Did you see or talk to Lexa the night Kyls was killed?" asked the court leader?

"No, I hadn't spoken to Lexa at all that day," Foldolfo lied.

"I call our last witness to the stand, Mary Cunningham."

Mary was Kyls servant who ran the bath water the day of the murder. As she walked to the stand, Lexa noticed that she had a huge bruise on her face and several bruises on her arm. She looked very distressed and Lexa could see that she was shaking.

"Mary, were you in the room the night of the murder?" the court leader asked.

"Y…Yes," Mary trembled.

"Did you see Lexa in Kyls room the night of the murder," asked the court leader.

"Y…Yes," Mary made public.

The crowd burst into whispers and murmurs. Clarkes heart raced.

"I… I saw her as I left from his back door," Mary continued. She was hiding near the door of the back entrance. I left and saw nothing more."

The crowd continued to whisper and Clarke looked over at her mother and Indra and trusted that they would stick with the plan. Titus, Abby, and Indra were all they needed to win the vote.

"Shes a liar!" someone yelled from the crowd.

"I think she's telling the truth," another person screamed from the crowd.

The crowd seemed to be in much disagreement.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the court. There are no more witnesses." The court leader announced. "There will now be a vote of the 5 high-nobles. Murder of a noble is punishable by death. If you wish the death of Lexa please respond 'I.' If you do not wish the death of Lexa, please respond 'Nah.'

"Pike, what is your response?" he asked

"I," Pike said without hesitation.

"Indra, what is your response?" the leader asked.

"Nah," Indra said nodding at Lexa.

"Marcus, what is your response?" the leader asked.

"I," Marcus replied.

"Abby, what is your response?" the leader asked.

Abby hesitated. She glanced over at Lexa and then glanced over at Clarke.

"Nah," Abby finally answered.

At that, a weight was lifted off Clarkes shoulders. She looked at Lexa with a smile and Lexa smiled back. Lexas father was the only vote left. Clarke knew that this was a true victory for Lexa.

"Titus, what is your response?"

Titus looked over at his daughter. His glance comforted her and Lexa gave him a smile.

"I," Titus replied looking away from his daughter.

The crowd gasped.

Titus, Lexa's own father, voted against her.


	5. Chapter 5

When Lexa heard the vote of her father, her entire body felt as if it had been crushed by a 50 ton boulder. Upon hearing the results of the vote, the crowd began to loudly chatter and a handful of people started screaming and yelling with either agreement or disagreement. But Lexa heard none of it. The only thing she could focus on was her father and his decision. She had never felt so betrayed in her entire life and for a moment, she thought that it was a nightmare that she would soon wake up from.

But it wasn't.

"Dad!" Lexa yelled from her stand in the court. She stood up and shouted even louder. "Dad!"

But Titus ignored her. He did not even looked her way. He faced the crowd as they began to become rowdy.

As her father continued to neglect her, tears began to fill in her eyes and she dropped to her knees and continued to call his name.

Suddenly, Pike stood up.

"Guards! Seize her!" he yelled at the top of his lungs pointing toward Lexa.

10 guards began to quickly move forward toward the stand where Lexa was still crying out her fathers name. Clarke, who was in the front of the crowd, ran to reach for Clarke first. She jumped over the stand to Lexa.

Clarke knelt down, held her, and Lexa cried into Clarkes body.

"I'm sorry, Clarke." Lexa bawled. "I'm so sorry!"

"STOP!" Marcus got up from his seat and raised his hands to extend out to the crowd. "GUARDS! STOP! "He yelled louder.

For the moment, everyone in the trial room was quiet.

"As one of the 5 head-nobles, I have decided to change my vote!" Marcus shouted. "I have decided to vote in Lexas favor."

"This is not possible!" Pike said angrily. "The votes are in and her fate has been decided!"

"Actually, according to the court rules, written by the first rulers of Eesii, a head-noble has up to 5 minutes to change his vote!" the court leader announced. "Marcus' vote is valid!"

"Lexa is to be stripped of all her privileges, titles, wealth, and land! She is to be exiled from the Kingdom of Eesii never to return! Her life shall be spared!" shouted the court leader

"Trader!" Pike yelled infuriated.

Pike jumped towards Marcus and punched him in his face, breaking his nose. Marcus hit the floor and his nose began to violently bleed. He got up and retaliated towards Pike. They both fell off the high-noble stand and fell to the floor.

At that, the crowd began to riot. Chairs began to fly as they hit others in the head. Woman and children began to run screaming in all directions. Punches were thrown and kicks were made. Some members of the crowd screamed due to the agony and pain of broken bones and bruises, others screamed out of anger and retaliation, others scream out of fear. The crowd even began to take down the guards despite the fact that they were heavily armed.

Suddenly, the doors of the trial room violently swung open. 50 castle guards stormed into the room to contain the crowd. Half of them searched for Lexa.

In the midst of the chaos, Lexa and Clarke had managed to push through the crowd close to one of the exits. Lexa was unable to move as fast as she wanted to because of the shackles on her feet.

Clarke and Lexa could see a clear exit just in reach. Their plan was to get Aden and flea the castle.

Before they could escape, a castle guard spotted them and snatched them before they could leave. Several other guards witnessed the capture and ran over to help. They carried Lexa out of the trial room, all the way to the Castle gates. They took off her shackles and cuffs and began to strip her of her clothing.

A crowd began to gather beyond the castle gates.

Clarke managed to catch up to Lexa since the other guards held her back.

"Stop! Please!" she cried as the guards continued to hold her back.

Lexa was stripped from all of her clothing, undergarments, and shoes. As she lay naked on the ground, a couple of guards kicked her as she tried to crawl to Clarke.

"You're hurting her!" Clarke howled. "Please! I beg you! Please!"

"Open the castle gates!" a guard a yelled to the gatekeeper.

The gates opened and two guards dragged Lexa closer to the gate. The last thing that was left on Lexas body was the engagement ring that Clarke had given to her. She struggled to keep her ring and she bit one of the guards trying to take it off of her finger, causing his finger to bleed. Enraged, the guard grabbed her finger and broke it in order to force the ring off.

Lexa screamed and cried in pain. At that, the guard gave her one final kick beyond the gate and the gatekeeper quickly closed it.

When the gate was sealed shut, the guards dropped Clarke and she ran to the gate. She reached through the bars and placed her hands on Lexas cheeks crying.

"Open the gates!" she shouted. "I'm leaving with her!"

"High-nobles orders!" a guard yelled. "You are not to leave this castle."

"Clarke," Lexa managed to whisper through her wounds. "You have to stay here and stake care of Aden."

"I won't" Clarke replied. "I want to go with you. I want to be with you. I love you," she whimpered.

"I love you too, Clarke. And I always will. Always and forever." Lexa confessed. "Promise me you will take care of Aden. Please."

"Ok. I will," Clarke nodded.

She placed a kiss on Lexas lips through the gates.

Abruptly, a guard pulled Clarke from the kiss and carried her away, back into the castle. Clarke and Lexa tried to reach each other for one last touch but it was unsuccessful as the guard quickly walked away. Lexa watched as Clarke was forced back into the castle. She was now alone.

Completely alone.


	6. Chapter 6

Lexa sat on the ground, hands clenched tightly to the bars of the fence as Clarke was forced back into the castle.  When Clarke vanished, Lexa remained unmoved.  She cried uncontrollably into the fence, unaware of the crowd that began to gather around the scene.  Her entire body was in agony.  Not just due to her wounds and the harm that had been inflicted on her the past week, but because of the love that she lost.

 

First, she lost the love of her father.  Although her life was spared, it was not because of Titus.  She felt like her heart had been stabbed by a dagger 100 times.  He was the one who raised her, the one who taught her to walk, and the one whom she thought she could always count on. 

 

Then, she lost Aden.  She’d loved Aden since that first day she saw the starving malnourished child who still worked hard to please the caretaker who used and abused him.  Aden reminded Lexa of herself in the fact that he was very adventurous, courageous, and with a heart of gold.  She witnessed Aden grow tremendously during his time at the castle and she did not regret bringing him there to provide him a better life.

 

Finally, she had lost the love of her life.  This devastated Lexa the most. Lexa had been in love with Clarke since they were kids growing up in the castle.  She remembered wanting to spend all of her free time with Clarke since the first time they met when they were 5. She remembered playing tag in the courtyard and always letting Clarke win when they were 7.  She remembered running to Clarke for a warm embrace after her victory in the archery competition when they were 9.  She remembered their first kiss when they were 11, which caused much uproar in the castle since they were of such a young age.  However, Lexa knew that Clarke was the one very early on and she didn’t care what the castle thought.  She remembered when Clarke would sneak into her room after dinner just to hold her hand when they were 13.  She remembered asking Clarke to go with her to the castles winter ball and how stunning she looked as she walked down the staircase at the ball when they were 15.  She remembered when she got down on one knee and proposed to Clarke and seeing the tears of joy fall from Clarkes eyes when they were 17.   She remembered Clarke surprising Lexa with a journey to the beautiful Kingdom of Jihet for her birthday when they were 19.

 

Lexa had been in love with Clarke for nearly her entire life.  And today, it had all been taken away from her. She looked down at her broken finger where the engagement ring had been and she began to hyperventilate at the thought of never seeing Clarke again.  A few members of the crowd tried to pull Lexa away from the fence in order to help her.  But, she jerked away and remained unmoved.  

 

After an hour or so, the crowd had dispersed as Lexa still remained at the fence.  A few citizens of the city left food and water by her side.   Others left Lexa cloths of clothing as she was still naked from when the guards stripped her.  However, Lexa didn’t even notice that items next to her as she was so shattered at the events that had just occurred.  

 

Eventually, Lexas body began to tire from dehydration, hunger, devastation, misery, and heartbreak.  She soon collapsed at the gate. 

 

* * *

 

Clarke had been bought back to her room.  She was locked inside but she was allowed visitation rights and Aden went to her room as soon as he was allowed.

 

“Is it true Clarke?  Is it true that they kick Lexa out of the castle?”  He asked sadly running to hug Clarke.

 

“Yes,” Clarke choked trying to stay strong for Aden. “But, we will see her again. I swear to you that we will come up with a plan and see her again.”

 

“But why? Why were those guards so mean to her?” he asked wiping tears from his face.

 

Clarke grabbed Adens face and looked him in the eyes.

 

“There are things that Lexa had to do in order to protect you.  She protected both of us,” Clarke explained. “You will understand when you’re older.  I promise you.”

 

“Does it have to do with me coming to live at the castle?” Aden questioned.

 

“Yes, Aden.  But none of this is your fault.  You have done nothing wrong” Clarke clarified, seeing that Aden was starting to blame himself.

 

“Why can’t we just leave?” he asked.  “Let's just leave the castle.  Lexa doesn’t know the streets of Eesii like I do.  She needs us.”

 

“I wish we could but we can’t leave, Aden,” Clarke said.  “If we leave, the guards have been informed to kill us.  We cannot leave until further notice.”

 

Aden was at a loss for words and overcome with sadness.  This was the longest he had gone without talking to Lexa since he arrived at the castle.  

 

“Aden, it’s late and you have to go to bed now,” Clarke said. “You have to get some rest.”

 

“Can I sleep in here with you?”  Aden pleaded.  “Please?”

 

“Yes,” Clarke replied.  She knew that Aden did not want to be alone since he was devastated that Lexa was gone.  “Go wash up and change your clothes.”

 

When Aden returned, Clarke tucked him in and he fell asleep almost immediately.  As Aden slept, Clarke paced the room trying to figure out a plan.  She needed to figure out a plan in order to see Lexa again.  As she paced the room, she worried if Lexa would be ok from the wounds that had been inflicted on her. She wondered if Lexa was still at the castle gates.  She tried dozens of times to sneak to the gates to check but she had been caught every time.  The last time she tried, Pike threatened to throw her in the dungeon.  Clarke wondered if Lexa would find food and shelter for the night.  Despite the Castle of Eesii being luxurious and full of wealth, she knew that the streets of Eesii were a tough place to live.  As she worried, she felt her eyes begin to water again.

 

Then she started to remember they’re life as kids growing up.  She remembered picking the prettiest flowers for Lexa from the castle gardens and surprising 

Lexa after their lessons when they were 6.  She remembered, skipping her sewing lessons in order to personally bake Lexa her favorite dessert for lunch when they were 8.  She remembered swimming with Lexa in the lake and splashing her playfully with water when they were 10.  She remembered how when she hugged Lexa, she never wanted the hug to end when they were 12.  She remembered when Lexa bought her chicken soup when she was stuck in bed with a fever when they were 14.  She remembered their canoeing adventures around the castle river and how they never wanted to come back to the castle when they were 16.  She remembered talking to Lexa about their plans to grow old together and eventually start a family when they were 18.

 

A knock on the door pulled her from her thoughts.

 

She opened the door and in walked Mary (Kyls servant), Tibby (the chef), Donna (Lexa’s servant), and Foldolfo (the messenger who helped Lexa).  

 

Immediately, Mary fell to her knees.

 

“Please, please forgive me Madam Clarke!” she begged.  “I am sorry!  Pike threatened to behead me if I didn’t say exactly what he wanted me to.”

 

It took every ounce of will for Clarke to not grab Marys neck.  But she saw the bruises on Marys face and arms and she knew that Mary had been beatened in order to force her to say what Pike wanted her to say during the trial.  

 

“I understand Mary,” Clarke managed to say.  “But please, stay out of my face.  You have done enough.” Clarke said clenching her fist, wanting to punch Mary.

 

“Clarke, we wanted to let you know that you have friends within the Castle and friends outside the castle gate.” Tibby whispered, trying not to be heard by the guards standing right outside the door.  “The servants of this castle have grown to love both you and Lexa.  You are one of the few nobles who treat us with respect.”

 

“So many of the nobles treat us as if we are less than human,” Donna explained.  “We are overworked and have too low of pay.  Most of us work here in order to support our families outside the castle but it is hardly enough.”

 

“You and Lexa are not like the other nobles,” Foldolfo said. “You have kind hearts and we are here to support you in whatever way we can.”

 

“I’ve sent word to friends beyond the castle wall to find Lexa and provide her food and shelter,” Tibby said. “She shall be safe for the time being.”

 

“But she won’t be safe for long,” Donna urge.

 

“Why?” Clarke asked confused.

 

“Bethany, one of Pikes servants, over heard him talking to a few of the other high-borns.”  Donna said. “Bethany informed us that there will be a kill order placed on Lexa.”

 

“If she does not leave Eesii, she will die as early as tonight.”


	7. Chapter 7

Lexa fluttered her eyes open as the sun hit her face and she woke up in an unfamiliar place.  She was lying in a bed made of stray in a room with one window.  The room was a bit drafty and she could tell that she was on the second or third floor.  The room was small compared to the ones she was used to at the castle.

 

She looked down at her broken finger and noticed that it was snuggly wrapped with sticks and old cloths to help it heal.  She also noticed that she had on clothes.  She had been given a simple off-white dress.  Next to her bed was a wooden box that was used as a night stand.  On top of the box was water and crackers.  She instantly chugged the water and gulfed down the crackers within seconds.  Still hungry, and curious about her surroundings, she got up from her bed and decided to figure out where she was.

 

She exited the room to a hallway that opened up to downstairs.  From the third floor, she could see what looked like a check in desk and several seating areas. As she walked toward the staircase, she noticed that there were several rooms like the one she woke up in and she figured that she was in some type of inn.

 

“Lexa? I’m so glad you’re awake.”  

 

The voice came from a woman with dark hair with a few braids.  She had green eyes and looked about the same age as Lexa.  

 

“My names Octavia” the woman said as Lexa made her way downstairs.  “You must be so hungry! You’ve been sleeping for two days straight!  Would you like some soup?”

 

“I would actually,” Lexa said scratching her head confused. “But it’s ok.  I don’t have money to pay you for it….”

 

“Nonsense!”  Octavia said “Go have a seat in the diner and I’ll be right over.”

 

Lexa headed near the diner area that had about 6 tables set up for dining guests.  Across the tables was a bar and there were several people who already had way too many drinks.

 

“I hope chicken soup is ok.”  Octavia said placing the bowl in front of Lexa. 

 

Lexa ate the soup as if  it was the first thing she had eaten in a month.

 

“Slow down there.  Wouldn’t want you choking on the chicken,” Octavia smiled.  

 

“Thanks,” Lexa said.  “As soon as I earn the money, I will pay you back...  Where exactly am I?”

 

“You’re in one of the towns inn. The Blake Inn to be exact.  Its not much but me and my husband, Lincoln own it.  We’re pretty proud of it,” Octavia replied.

 

“How exactly did I get here?”  Lexa quizzed.

 

“Well, we heard word about everything that happened at the castle.  Tibby, my uncle, actually explained the situation,” Octavia explain.  “He speaks very highly of you.  When he said you needed help, we went to the castle gates, found you, and bought you back here.”

 

“I’m very sorry about that,  I didn’t mean to be such a mess,” Lexa said apologetically, “It’s just…I..”

 

“No need to explain Lexa,” Octavia said cutting her off.  “Shit happens.”

 

“Thank you so much,”  Lexas said gratefully.  “Is there anything I can do to pay off my debts?  I can maybe help you clean or cook and fix up some of the rooms.”

 

“You can’t stay here Lexa.” Octavia said with a serious face.  “You have to leave Eesii.  You should have been gone yesterday.”  Octavia handed Lexa a sheet of paper.

 

On the paper was a picture of herself with the words “Murderer: Wanted Dead by orders of Head-Noble Pike.  Handsome Reward.”

 

“As long as you are in this kingdom, you are at risk.”

 

“But, I can’t leave Eesii.  This is my home.  I can’t leave… I can’t leave Clarke.” Lexa justified.

 

“Most people in this town won’t harm you because it is well known in this kingdom that you are an honorable and generous noble but there are others who are currently searching for you as we speak.”  Octavia warned.  “You must leave today.”

 

Lexa looked down at her broken finger without saying a word.

 

“Clarke would rather have you alive than dead.  The possibility of you seeing her is still there, but it won’t be if you stay in Eesii.  You will surely be killed,” Octavia revealed.

 

“But how?” Lexa asked.  “I have no money and no means to travel.”

 

“That is taken care of Lexa.  The towns people and servants of the castle are secretly  putting some funds together to help you evacuate this place.  Now, we just need to figure out where you can go.”

 

Octavia quickly walked behind the bar and pulled out a map.  She spread in on the table to map out Lexas options.

 

“To the east of Eesii is the Kingdom of Jihet.”  Octavia pointed.

 

“Right, I’ve been there before but there is no way I can get there alone.  In order to get to Bofin, I must go through the Forest of Fear and Frenzy. Without a proper carriage and forest guider, there is no way I’ll make it out alive.  It’s filled with jaguars, cheetahs, and several traps set up by the indigenous people who live there,” Lexa explained.

 

“Our next bet is the Kingdom of Hidif.  It is south of Eesii,”  Octavia went on.

 

“Hidif is definitely the most luxurious of the Kingdoms but its also a tough journey as well.  I’d have to go through the Desert of Despair and I would have to buy a camel,”  Lexa said.

 

“Camels are pretty expensive.  I don’t think we’d be able to raise that much money for your departure,” Octavia said concerned.  “But you could always go to the Kingdom of Jihet.  It’s an island west of here and I’m sure you’ll have enough money to get a ticket for the boat.” 

 

“When does the boat leave?”  Lexa asked.

 

“There’s one that leaves tonight.  It’s a cargo boat used for trading but they allow passengers on board for a price.  It leaves tonight at 9pm and you should arrive at Jihet by noon tomorrow.”

 

“Ok, that sounds like the best bet,” Lexa approved.

 

* * *

 

“Lexa has left the castle,” Clarke barked angrily as she stormed into Pikes’ room slamming one of the wanted papers on his desk.  “She’s out on the streets and isn’t bothering anyone in this castle.”

 

“As long as she is in my kingdom, she shall not live.” Pike said not looking up from his paper work.

 

“You knew he had it coming,” Clarke snarled sitting in front of Pikes desk.  “You did nothing to raise your son with respect and admiration.” 

 

“Leave this room you little whore or I will finish what my son started with you!” Pike yelled slamming his fist down on the table.

 

Clarke glared at Pike with disgust.  He knew what Kyls was doing to Clarke and did nothing to stop it.  He let it happen and he didn’t care.

Clarke stood up and walked toward the door.  But before she left, she had a few last things to say.  

 

“There will be a day when you will fall.  There will be a day when cowardly, unjust, and undeserving people like you will cease to lead this kingdom.  And I swear to you, this day is coming soon.”

 

* * *

 

Lexa lay in her straw bed resting before her long journey to the new kingdom.  She didn’t want to go but she knew that it was the only way she would survive.  In order to see Clarke again, she knew she had to survive.

 

Eesii is the only home she ever had and she couldn’t imagine going through life without the familiarity of Eesii and the happy life she had here.  She currently had no plan besides getting on the boat to Jihet.  How would she survive there, she thought to herself.  She would have very little money and no home.  She had a few skills and figured that maybe she could use that to her advantage.  She was excellent at shooting bow and arrows and knew how to make them from her teachings with Indra.  Maybe she could open up some sort of arrow shop or repair them for other people.  She also knew how to fish from her days relaxing with Clarke on the river.  Maybe she could be some sort of fisherwoman who sells to other people.  Then when she raised enough money, she could somehow pay for the release of Clarke to visit her.

 

As she lay on the straw bed thinking about her old life, future life, and Clarke, she began to smell smoke.  Shortly after, she heard screams and cries for help.  She open the door to her room and looked downstairs.  Downstairs, were 3 men with torches lighting the inn on fire.

 

“Where is the bitch who killed Kyls?!” one of the men yelled grabbing a woman by the neck. 

 

Suddenly, Lexa was pushed on the floor.  When she looked to see who pushed her, it was Octavia. 

 

“You have to get out of here!” Octavia whispered crawling back to Lexas room.  “Follow me!”

 

Lexa crawled back to the room to avoid being seen and locked the door behind her.  

 

Octavia grabbed sheets off the straw bed and started tying them together to make something similar to a rope.  

 

“Octavia, don’t worry about me!” Lexa pleaded.  “We have to help the other people downstairs.”

Lexa grabbed for the handle at the door but Octavia stopped her before she could open it.

 

“No!”  Octavia demanded. “I promised to safely get you out of this kingdom and that is  what I’m going to do.”

 

Lexa looked horrified as the black smoke began to seep through the bottom of the door as she heard screams downstairs making their way up the stairs.

 

“I know that bitch is here somewhere!”  Screamed one of the men.

 

Lexa began helping Octavia secure the sheets so that she could climb out the window.

 

As they were finishing the makeshift rope, an axe began to chop through the door behind them.

 

“Hurry!” Octavia screamed.

 

Once the rope was secured, Octavia tied it around the box as Lexa began to climb out of the window.  

 

Before Lexa could begin to descend, the man had managed to axe through the door.  He pushed Octavia to the floor and rushed through the window.  He grabbed Lexas hand as she was dangling from the window and tried to pull her up.  However, Lexa was not about to get pulled back into the room without a fight.  She tried yanking her hand out of his grip but his grip was too tight.  She then bit his hand as hard as she could in order to free herself.  

 

The man jerked away and immediately let go of Lexa.  However, this caused Lexa to loose her grip on the makeshift rope and she fell from the window. 


	8. Chapter 8

Lexa fluttered her eyes open to an excruciating headache. She temporarily lost consciousness for about a minute when she fell flat on her back from the 3-story window of the burning Inn. As she sat up and grabbed her head, Octavia was more than half way down from climbing the rope.

Lexa stood up but quickly bent over putting her hands on her knees due to the pain from her fall. Everything was chaos around her. There were people running and screaming everywhere, people jumping from the burning buildings, and others helping the injured.

Lexa noticed an elderly man about 90 years old who fell from the building who was being trampled over from all the chaos. She ran to his assistance and dragged him away from the burning building, pulling him under a shade tree.

"Bless you, young lady," the man coughed.

Lexa then saw one of the men who was burning the building. He was grabbing any woman who looked somewhat similar to Lexa to get a closer look at their faces. When he saw than the women were not who he was looking for, he'd push them down to the ground.

"Hey! Are you looking for me!" Lexa yelled at the man. She hated to see other people get hurt because of her. She want to stop him from hurting anyone else.

The man ran towards her. Lexa turned and climb up a near by tree before he could reach her.

"Get your ass down from there!" The man took out his axe and began to chop at the tree. However, Lexa jumped from the tree right on top of the man.

"Arggghh!" the man yelled in pain as Lexa plowed on top of him.

When Lexa landed on top of him, she got nicked in the leg with the axe before he dropped it. She quickly got up from her jump and limbed away as her leg was bleeding from the cut from the axe.

The man got up from the ground to chase Lexa. But, before he could, the 90 year old man whom Lexa helped just minutes before, picked up the axe and gave the man a quick and strong slice through the shoulder.

"Octavia!" Lincoln screamed running to his wife. "Are you ok?" he asked grabbing Octavias shoulders.

"Yes, we have to get Lexa to the ship." Octavia said. "Stay here, stall those men, and take care of the Inn the best you can. I'm going to take Lexa to the ship."

"Ok." Lincoln leaned forward to kiss Octavia and then ran back to the entrance of the Inn.

Octavia swung Lexas arm around her shoulder and grabbed her waist to help her walk to the ship docks. They took the back roads and dark alleyways to avoid being noticed and captured.

They walked for about an hour trying to avoid as many people as possible because it was impossible to tell who wanted to capture Lexa and who was on her side. Octavia did not want to take any risks.

They took a break in one of the dark alleys since Lexa was having a bit of trouble moving quickly because of her leg.

"Just tell me which way to go and I can find my way." Lexa said. "Surly if you are caught helping me, you will endure the same fate as I. You have helped me tremendously."

"I promised Tibby to get you out of the kingdom and that is exactly what I'm going to do," Octavia pledged.

Octavia got up from their short break and lifted Lexa back to her feet.

"We only have another 10-15 minute walk." Octavia explained.

"I'm sorry about you and your husbands Inn. It's burning now because of me," Lexa said looking at Octavia as they walked. "I remember you saying that you were very proud of it and I promise that I will help you rebuild it when I can."

"You need not apologize Lexa. Together, me and Lincoln will be fine. Your situation is far worse than ours so you need not worry about us." Octavia said.

As they continued to walk, Lexa spotted a ship on the water near the docks.

"That's the boat you need to board. We're nearly there." Octavia said.

When they reached the docks, they were greeted by a darker toned woman with dark hair and brown eyes.

"Octavia, you made it," the woman said hugging Octavia.

"You must be Lexa." The woman pulled Lexa into a hug as well. "I'm Raven. I work as an engineer for many of the ships and boats."

"It is a pleasure meeting you Raven." Lexa said.

"Raven is going to make sure that you make it to Jihet safely," Octavia said.

"I don't know how to thank you Octavia." Lexa said gratefully. "I would have never survived without you."

"You can thank me by surviving," Octavia said pulling Lexa into a hug. "The kingdoms need a courageous, respectful, and generous noble like yourself. People like you are very rare."

* * *

Word reached the castle about the uproar in town. Aiden knew that Clarke was doing everything she could to help Lexa but it just wasn't enough. He heard the rumors about a guard breaking Lexas finger and shamefully leaving her naked in front of the castle grounds. He also heard about the fire at the Blake Inn, the call for Lexas death, and he also heard that currently, no one is really sure were Lexa is at.

Many people in the castle believed that she was already dead or that it was only a matter of time before she received an axe to the head when she is found. Others believe that Lexa is alive and hiding safely some where in town or in a different kingdom.

Aiden believed that she was very much alive and wanted to do more to help her.

"Clarke, if she's out there, she needs me. She doesn't know the streets like I do." Aiden said.

"Aiden, you cannot leave the castle. It's too dangerous out there, especially now with all the riots and chaos."

"But we are accomplishing nothing here," Aiden said. "She needs our help, yet we are here in this castle."

"We can't leave Aiden. They will not allow it. I've tried numerous times and even if were to escaped, Pike will have as sentenced to death." Clarke said. "Listen to me. We think that Lexa may have boarded a ship to leave the kingdom. We believe that she is on her way to Jihet."

"Are you sure?" Aiden asked.

"Aiden, nothing is for certain anymore, but we just have to have faith. I promise you that we will see her again. I'm trying to help her as best I can," Clarke reassured. "Now please go a finish your studies."

Clarke hated to see Aiden worry so she made sure that he was occupied with his studies. She did not want to keep him in the dark about Lexa but she also didn't want to get his hopes up in case everything went wrong. Clarke actually had a plan to leave Eesii to go and find Lexa but she didn't want Aiden to know because she did not want to put him in danger.

Aiden was not happy with how everything was turning out. Lexa was like a mother figure to him and he couldn't just do nothing when Lexa was possibly in trouble. Instead of going to meet up with his classmates, he went to the incinerator where he knew that the guards were burning all of Lexas belongings.

When he reached the incineration room, the doorknob was burning hot. He slowly opened the door and saw two men throwing Lexas belongings such as clothes and furnishings into the fire. He began to sweat especially since he did not have on protective fire gear like the other two men in the room.

Aiden noticed that Lexas bow and arrows were in the corner of the room. He crouched down and moved toward the arrows in order to grab them before they were burned.

"Look at the diamonds on this thing!" One of the men said holding up Lexas engagement ring. "I'm not going to burn this. It has to be worth at least $50,000."

"Hey lets split the money 50/50. I am the one who broke the bitches finger to get it off. We wouldn't have it if it weren't for me," the guard claimed as he put the ring in his pocket.

Aiden became so angry at hearing the guards conversation that he didn't notice the line of Lexas shoes and he tripped over it.

When the guards heard the noise, they quickly turned around.

"Seize the boy!" one guard yelled as the other ran toward him.

Angry, Aiden reached Lexas bow and arrows and shot one straight in the guards arm.

The guard screamed and fell to his knees. Aiden then shot the other guard in the head, killing him instantly. He walked over to the dead guards body, reached in his pocket, and grabbed Lexas ring.

"That's for hurting Lexa." Aiden said. He ran out of the incinerator with the ring, bows, and arrows.

Realizing that he only had a few minutes before the castle knew what happened, Aiden quickly rushed for the castle gates.

"Whats the rush son?" Tibby asked when he saw Aiden practically running down the hallway.

"Nothing sir. I'm just late for my studies," Aiden lied.

He turned left to the next hallway, where he was immediately stopped by a guard. His heart was pounding in his chest and his breathing quickened.

"Stop running with those arrows boy. You'll hurt someone or put your eye out!" the guard warned.

Aiden slowed his pace to a quick walk. But he started running again once the guard was out of site. Aiden was trying to reach one of the secret passageways that he over heard Clarke and Lexa talking about one day. From overhearing their conversation, he knew that the passage way led outside of the castle.

Finally he reached the corridor where the passageway was hidden. He pushed on the bricks hoping that one of them led to the opening of the passage. After about 5 minutes without success his palms began to bruise from the friction on the brick.

"What are you doing?" Indra asked startling Aiden.

"Indra, please help me!" Aiden pleaded. "I have to get out of here!"

"Whats wrong?" Indra asked grabbing him by the shoulders. "Aiden, talk to me."

"I killed him!" Aiden panicked. "I killed the man who broke Lexas finger and now they are going to find out soon. Indra! You have to help me get out of here!"

"Aiden goodness le.."

"Please!" Aiden said cutting Indra off.

"Ok, here, before you go take this." Indra reached in her pocket and handed Aiden a few coins of money and an arrow head sharpener. "You may need it."

Indra then walked to the opposite wall and kicked the base of the wall exposing a small opening. Aiden quickly crawled in and poked out his head.

"Tell Clarke that I'm sorry, that I'm going to Jihet, and that I love her." Aiden said.

"I will Aiden. Please be careful. The first thing you need to do when you're out there is find new clothes. You'll stand out if you don't," Indra explained.

Aiden nodded.

"Now close the bricks and go Aiden"


	9. Chapter 9

"Here Lexa, put on this uniform."

Raven handed Lexa a sailors uniform so that see wouldn't stand out on the ship. This was not a passenger ship but a cargo ship so it would be harder for Lexa to blend in.

"If anyone asks, you are a new deck hand. Most likely the captain and officers will have you scrub the decks, clean the eating and living quarters, and operate the winches," Raven explained.

"The winches?" Lexa asked looking very confused.

"Basically the rope and cable system. They are used to anchor the ship, deposit cargo, and whatnot. I'll quickly show you how to work it once we get on the ship. Raven said. "Also address everyone, especially the captain and officers, as sir and ma'am, don't forget to salute, and always stay busy so no one will question you. You also must…"

Lexa started to feel nervous and overwhelmed at Ravens instructions. The smallest mistake will blow her cover and her life would be over in a blink of an eye. "This is for Clarke," she reminded herself. "Mess this up and I'll never see Clarke again."

"Be sure to keep the latrines clean. The mops and other cleaning supplies are on the lower deck." Raven finally said. "Ready?"

"Yes, of course" Lexa lied, not feeling ready at all.

Raven and Lexa climbed onto the ship. The name of the ship was Mercy, and it was an old model. It was easy to tell that it had been on many journeys and had been worn down over the years.

When Lexa boarded the ship, the captain was already yelling to ready the crew.

"Deck Cadets! It's going to be a rough voyage! We expect a few storms but with teamwork, Mercy shall make it to Jihet in about 3 days!" The captain announced to the crew who were all standing at attention.

The captain noticed Raven and Lexa board the ship.

"You two are late!" the captain hollered of disapproval.

"Engineer cadet, Sir!" Raven yelled standing at attention.

"The engineer officer is at the hull! Get there now!" the captain demanded.

"Yes sir!" Raven ran to the opposite side of the boat.

"State your position!" the captain yelled at Lexa.

"Deck hand! Sir!" Lexa yowled mimicking Raven motions. She felt slightly embarrassed and totally out of place as she didn't know if she was standing at attention correctly.

"You are the lowest of the hierarchy of the ship! Being late is unacceptable! Fall in line now!"

"Yes, Sir!" Lexa ran to the back of the line with the other deck hands.

In total, there was about 50 crew members on the ship. About 90% were men and most of them look very rough. Some of them had scars on their face and most of them had hands that were stained with black oil and dirt indicating how hard they worked.

The ship finally left the dock and the Captain personally made life on the boat a living hell for Lexa since she was late. Her first task was to scrub the upper and lower decks of the ship. As Lexa was on her hands and knees scrubbing the boat, the sun was almost unbearable. She was drenched in sweat and there was very little protection from the sun. Her eyes began to burn as sweat rolled in her eyes and most of her skin was red due to sunburn. Her knees became sore from being on them for so long but she continue to do what she was told.

"Here mate. You look thirsty."

Lexa looked up and say that a guy with curly hair was handing her water.

"Stay hydrated or you won't make it out here," he told her.

"Thanks," Lexa said grabbing the water.

"I'm Bellamy," he announced. "My sister Octavia told me that you'd be on this ship."

"You know who I am?" Lexa asked.

"Yes, but me and Raven are the only ones who know." Bellamy informed her. "Tell know one your real name."

"The captain is very rough on those who are late. I remember when I was late for my first voyage," Bellamy said. "You're in for a rough ride."

"I will do as I must," Lexa said thinking of Clarke. "Is it obvious that I'm not a real sailor."

"Not really, but everyone can tell that you are a newbie. Just don't stop working and always stay busy. You're doing fine."

"Deck hands! No lounging around! Get back to work now!" said the captain.

Bellamy ran back to his duties and Lexa continued to scrub the decks. Through the day, Lexa finished the decks, cleaned out the latrines, and washed all the dishes on board. She grew a deep appreciation for the crew members and other laborers throughout the town. Since she grew up in the castle of Eesii, she didn't have to do much labor work since she had workers do it for her. As she rubbed her back from the pain of bending over, she thought about how hard it must be to do this as a career everyday for low pay. She grew to respect the hard work of the common people throughout the kingdom.

Night fell and Lexa was starting to feel seasick. By midnight, she was done with her work and headed back to the bunkers. She lay in a corner in a stack of hay and puked in a nearby bucket.

"You're alright mate," said a male voice. "If you cross your arms, it will help with the dizziness. I'm Monty by the way and this is Jasper.

"You've been working your ass off all day mate," Jasper said. "The captain is an ass but you're doing great."

"Whats your name?" Monty asked.

"Le…" Lexa almost forgot that she shouldn't give her real name. Quickly she made up a new one. "Leanne."

"Leanne, let me introduce you to some of the other crew," Jasper offered.

Lexa walked to the other end of the bunks and became acquainted with many members of the crew. She listened to many of their stories and how they became part of the crew. They all had different backgrounds and Lexa suddenly felt a lot more comfortable on the ship.

"Have you heard what's been happening in Eesii, Leanne?" One of the crew members asked Lexa. "Lexa, one of the nobles was kicked out of the castle."

"Oh I've heard a little bit about that," Lexa replied.

"It's a shame," another crew member said who wore an eye patch. "She was one of the few nobles who respected us common folk. Most of those nobles treat their servants like garbage."

"Yep. They have all the money in the world and yet they allow the kingdom outside the castle to starve and live in poverty." Jasper said.

"Do you guys really think she killed Kyls?" Monty asked.

"I hope she did!" yelled a bearded man. "Because if she did, I'd like to personally thank her. Kyls is the reason why I lost my home. The bastard seize my land to make a personal farm. He didn't even compensate me for the property that I owned. Me and my family were without a home for 6 months!"

Lexa was shocked to hear how much the common people hated the nobles and she felt that they were right to be angry. She was aware of how hard they worked and always tried to treat everyone, no matter where they come from, with respect.

Suddenly, the ship violently jerked, knocking people off their feet. Plates and beds flew and slid to the other part of the room.

"All hands on deck! All hands on deck!" Lexa heard the captain and officers yell.

The crew hurried and climbed upstairs. When Lexa emerged on deck, she was immediately soaked with water from the rainstorm. The wind was strong and blew Lexa and several other crew members off their feet as they slipped on the slippery wood below them.

"You four! Handle the main sail!" One of the officers yelled.

"You five! Handle the fore sail! Move! Now, now!" scream the officer.

Lexa got back up to her feet and followed the others to the fore sail as the boat rocked violently. The waves were crashing onto the side of the boat and gallons and gallons of water was filling the ship. Several crew members grabbed buckets in efforts to scoop the excess water off the boat.

"Leanne! We have to climb to the top of the sail and cut the ropes! Take one of my knives!" Jasper yelled.

Lexa grabbed the knife and started to climb up the sail. It was about 150 feet high and was very slippery due to the rain. Lexa and Jasper climbed the sail together. The wind picked up again and Lexa almost lost her grip but she held on tight and continued to climb. When she reached the top of the sail, she and jasper began to cut the meshwork of ropes. It was hard to see because of the rain pounding on her face but she continued to best she could.

Lightning began to strike and Lexa began to cut the rope faster in fear of being struck by lightning.

"We're almost done! Just a few more ropes!" Jasper yelled.

Lexa moved her foot forward to get a bit higher but the wind picked up again and she lost her footing. Lexa dropped the knife and was dangling by the rope she just cut.

The rope slowly began to unwind and the wind blew her further away from Jasper.

Jasper pulled the rope that Lexa was hanging on in efforts to pull her back to safety. However, the rope was cut and was giving way the harder he pulled.

Suddenly, the rope snapped in half.

Lexa began to fall 150 feet into the air.

Within seconds, Lexa landed in the ocean.

* * *

"Indra! How could you let him leave!" Clarke was infuriated. "He's just a boy!"

"Clarke, I had no choice, he killed a guard and injured another." Indra explained. "It was either escape or be killed."

"We could have covered for him!" Clarked inclined.

"There is solid evidence Clarke. He wouldn't have gotten away with it." Indra said.

Clarke picked up a kettle off the table and throw it as hard has she could at the wall while screaming. It shattered to pieces all over the floor. Clarke was extremely frustrated.

"Get Out!" Clarke growled.

She knew that Indra was only trying to help but in that moment she needed Indra to leave.

Clarke paced the room ticked off and angry. With both Lexa and Aiden gone, her whole world was falling apart.


	10. Chapter 10

Raven saw a body fall off the ship from her spot in the cockpit. She ran out fearing the worst. She ran to the edge of the ship and spotted Lexa struggling to stay above the water.

"Sailor down!" Jasper yelled. "Sailor down!"

"Help me cut down one of the lifeboats!" Raven shouted at Bellamy.

Raven jumped into one of the life canoes and cut the left rope while Bellamy cut the right.

"Stay on the ship!" Raven told Bellamy. "You're the only other person on the ship who knows about Lexa, so I need you to be the messenger if anything happens to us!"

They finished cutting the rope and the small canoe fell to the ocean.

Lexa was drifting further and further away from the ship. Her head was continuously dunked under water due to the forceful waves. She was struggling to stay afloat and water was starting to fill her lungs. Lexa knew how to swim but it was becoming harder to breathe since the waves were so violent.

Raven paddled to where Lexa was and pulled her into the canoe. Lexa lay in the canoe trying to catch her breath.

"Grab a paddle and let's row back to the ship!" Raven yelled through the loud thunder. "If we get close enough, they can let down a rope and pull us up!"

When they got closer to the boat, Bellamy, Monty, and Jasper threw down a rope and were ready to pull them up. However, the wind blew the ship too hard for them to catch up.

"Captain! We have two crew members overboard!" Bellamy yelled. "We have to slow down the ship to reach them!"

"Crew! Dismantle all sails! Now! Move!" The captain screamed after hearing Bellamy.

After 20 minutes the sails were dismantled. Lexa and Raven chased the ship to catch up but it was still moving to fast. Several times, the wind knocked them out of the canoe as it flipped over.

"Drop the anchor!" The captain yelled, seeing that the ship was still moving too fast.

The anchor was dropped but the wind was so strong that the anchor dragged the bottom of the ocean, only slowing the ship and not stopping it.

Raven and Lexa were starting to catch up with the ship now that it was finally slowing down.

Bellamy, Monty, and Jasper threw out the rope again to try and pull them up. However, it was just out of reach.

The wind picked up again, flipping the canoe over once more.

"Swim for the rope!" Raven shouted at Lexa.

Lexa swam with every muscle in her body to reach the rope. She was only feet from the rope but it was still just out of reach. Raven started slowing down as she was becoming exhausted from swimming and the strenuous rowing that they did in the canoe.

"Come on, Raven! We're almost there!" Lexa encouraged "We're so close!"

"Just go! I'll be ok." Raven said starting to sink a bit. "I'm too worn-out."

Lexa looked back at the rope that was only feet away and then turned back to look at Raven who was drifting further and further away from the ship.

Within seconds, Lexa swam back to Raven and held her to stop her from swallowing too much water. She spotted the canoe in a distance.

"Wrap your hands around my shoulders Raven," she told her.

Lexa finally reached the canoe, flipped it right side up, helped Raven inside and climbed in herself. When she caught her breath she turned back to look at the ship and it had already drifted about a mile away. The ship was gone and there was no way that they would be able to get back on it.

…

Lexa woke to the sun beaming down on her face. Her lips were chapped and her skin was extremely dry. She sat up to see that Raven was searching for land with her hand shielding her eyes from the sun.

It was so bright, that no one could ever guess that there was a terrible rainstorm just hours before.

Raven noticed that Lexa sat up from her nap.

"Lexa, I'm so sorry. You're stuck in the middle of nowhere because you came back for me," Raven said. "I owe my life to you. It's true what everyone says about you in the castle. You are not like the other nobles and I cannot thank you enough."

Raven pulled Lexa into a hug, grateful to be alive.

"I just did what any normal person would have done," Lexa claimed.

"No, you are far beyond normal," Raven replied. "I see land up ahead. It looks like only a few hours away if we paddle."

"Is that Jihet?" Lexa asked.

"No, we're nowhere near Jihet," she said. "I think it might be Hidif. But we won't know until be get there."

Lexa and Raven picked up their paddles and rowed.

…

Clarke was done with the castle. In the back of her mind, she knew that Aiden was right. There was no point of her staying in the castle when the love of her life was gone in some other part of the world. Sure she had everything she needed there: servants, a luxurious wardrobe, money, one of the largest rooms in the castle, but it all meant nothing without Lexa.

She thought that maybe if she stayed, she could use politics to gain Lexa's acceptance back in the castle. But all of her efforts were in vain. Nothing worked and she missed Lexa beyond belief. 'That's it, she thought to herself. I'm leaving once and for all.'

It was especially hard for Clarke to leave the castle since Pike ordered extra guards to watch over her. They kept a tight eye on her every move. She knew that if she wanted to get out, she'd have to somehow distract them.

Clarke walked to the flower gardens, as she often did before the departure of Lexa. As she walked down the corridors and out into the gardens, she noticed that there were 4 guards watching her every move.

Once she reached the garden, she picked out an array of different flowers and herbs. She paid special attention to the purple lotus flowers in the water.

Shortly afterwards she returned to her room just in time for lunch. She decorated the room with the flowers, except for the purple lotus flowers. She picked the peddles off the flowers and put them in a small brown cloth bag.

During her studies as a child, Clarke learned that consuming the peddles of those flowers were very dangerous since they were poisonous. Consuming them will kill a grown man within minutes.

Tibby walked in Clarke's room to deliver her lunch.

"Good afternoon," Clarke said standing from her chair.

"Good afternoon, my lady," Tibby replied. "How are you holding up?"

"Quite well Sir," Clarke answered. Although she wasn't holding up well at all. All she could think about was leaving the castle and reuniting with Lexa and Aiden. She was willing to do anything it took. "Tibby, I was wondering if you could possibly do me a favor."

"Anything for you, kind one," Tibby said placing Clarke's food on the table.

"There are four guards who watch over me the moment I step out of this room. You know the one's I'm talking about."

"Of course I do."

"For dinner, could you make them some tea with these flowers?" Clarke asked, handing Tibby the bag.

"Of course," Tibby replied taking the bag. "Dinner will be served at 6pm sharp."

Tibby winked at Clarke and closed the door behind him.


End file.
